Out of the Shadowlands: A report on an international learning circle on migration & citizenship

This report documents a three-day learning circle of people working on migration and the rights of people on the move. It first summarizes the thematic investigation that led to the identification of themes for deeper discussion. An examination of the opportunities and dilemmas presented by the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers is followed by an exploration of the ethical and political vitality of the construct of “open borders,” and an attempt to frame a forward-looking discourse on a global open migration policy. The report then summarizes our reflections on security, as manifest in the framework of the “war on terror”, focusing on the erosion of the human rights of all persons, particularly people on the move. The report concludes with an attempt to reframe a policy discourse that challenges current national security and border control regimes, and the irrational politics of fear that is used to justify them.